1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for separation of gas mixtures into gas volumes having higher concentrations of selected constituent gases, and particularly to such methods and systems as operate at relatively low pressures, such as partial atmospheric pressure, or less.
2. Description of Related Art
It is generally desirable, for a variety of applications, to separate constituent gases of a gaseous mixture. For example, the constituent gases of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, etc., are often separated from air, using numerous different methods. Methods for such separation often entail the use of massive and/or complex equipment, and consume a large amount of energy. Consequently, bottled gas (pressurized or liquefied) is predominantly used for applications in which a relatively pure gas is required. Except for a few specialized industrial processes, continuous, on-demand gas separation methods that use ambient air as a feedstock are generally too expensive and/or not technically feasible for many applications in which gaseous separation may be beneficial.
For example, for combustion engine applications, it may be beneficial to enrich intake air with oxygen, to enable increased power or efficiency. Presently, there is no effective solution for providing oxygen in a continuous process using air as a feedstock, that is feasible for use with gasoline or diesel engines in transportation applications. Similar benefits might be realized with other mobile or stationary power plants or combustion applications. Separation of more concentrated oxygen and/or nitrogen streams from ambient air may also be useful for various different industrial processes, for fire prevention or suppression, for air conditioning or medical purposes, and/or other applications.
Separation of electronegative and electropositive gases using a static electric field and permeable electrodes is known in the art. Despite this knowledge, there are few, if any, examples where such systems have found practical application. In short, the prior art has failed to produce a practical system with proven effectiveness for separating gaseous constituents in an open, continuous process system. In particular, the prior art has failed to provide a system of proven effectiveness for separating oxygen from air.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a more effective system and method for separating, at least in part, constituents of a gaseous mixture. The system and method should be capable of separating the primary constituents of ambient air (i.e., oxygen and nitrogen) using relatively light-weight equipment that is economical and relatively maintenance-free. The equipment should be useful for diverse applications, for example, for use with diesel or gasoline engines in trucking, marine, or automotive applications, or for any other application where a continuous gas stream that is at least partially enriched in oxygen or nitrogen is desired.